Climate extremes with record heat in Canada and California – and that already in early summer. A long forest fire season is looming.
Vancouver / San Francisco – California’s Death Valley is known for its heat records, but not the Pacific Northwest or the coast of western Canada. But now a heat wave has hit this region with extreme temperatures of well over 40 degrees. “It was really like being in the desert of Death Valley,” said Canadian Heike Schmidt by choice to the German press agency on Wednesday. “We were 46 degrees Celsius in Victoria and 30 degrees at night, like in an oven”.
The city planner from Göttingen has lived in Canada for over 20 years, currently in Victoria, the capital of the province of British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. The mother of two says that nobody there is prepared for such “abnormal” heat. Hardly anyone has air conditioning, the wooden houses heat up. The neighbors slept in the garden, sprayed themselves with water and sought refuge in the shade. Fans in the shops sold out quickly. “Then when reports came that people were dying, it got really scary,” says Schmidt.
Kanda heatwave kills hundreds
The dangerous heat has contributed to hundreds of deaths, according to the authorities. From Friday to Wednesday, 486 sudden and unexpected deaths were reported in the province of British Columbia, the forensic medicine of the West Coast province said on Wednesday. This number is likely to increase. It is 195 percent above the average. The authority assumes that the sharp increase is related to the extreme heat.
49.6 degrees Celsius showed the thermometer on Tuesday in Lytton (province of British Columbia), as the local weather authority announced on Twitter, an “all-time temperature record” for Canada. Only one day later, the residents of the village had to flee their homes because of the blazing flames. Mayor Jan Polderman ordered the evacuation of Lyttons in view of the fires on Wednesday evening, as reported by the TV broadcaster CBC. “It’s awful. The whole city is on fire, ”he told the broadcaster.
Heat wave: the blackberries literally “burn”
The heat wave also had the US states of Washington and Oregon firmly under control. In Portland, which is usually temperate, the thermometer climbed to 47 degrees. In Multnomah County alone, which includes Portland’s largest city in Oregon, 45 people have died in connection with the excessive heat since the start of the heat on Friday, the forensic department said on Wednesday. In Oregon’s northern neighbor Washington state, the death toll rose to 13, The Seattle Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The exceptional weather brings further worries. Fruit growers on Vancouver Island complain of crop losses. The blackberries would literally “burn”, said one farmer. In addition, 80 percent of his raspberry harvest had been destroyed.
“Everything is totally dry and everyone is worried about the forest fires. The first fires started far too early, ”says Heike Schmidt. The worst fires usually rage at the end of a hot, dry summer, but in recent years the “forest fire season” in western North America has grown significantly longer, especially during periods of drought with little winter rainfall, such as this year.
California heat wave: “historic” catastrophe
California, which often suffers from drought, caught it early again. In the north of the most populous US state, almost a thousand firefighters fought a forest fire near the village of Weed on Wednesday. The flames had spread over an area of 70 square kilometers in just a few days. The fire was started by a lightning strike. Strong winds in dry and hot weather exacerbated the situation. Over a thousand people were asked to leave their homes in the danger zone.
In 2020 California experienced a “historic” catastrophe. It was the most devastating forest fire season in terms of area since records began. The fires raged particularly hard from mid-August to the end of October. More than 30 people were killed and over 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Scientists believe that climate change is exacerbating drought, heat and extreme weather conditions, which can contribute to more violent forest fires. “Climate change is here,” wrote California Governor Gavin Newsom on Twitter on Wednesday. It’s getting hotter and drier all the time. The Democrat had previously attended a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden with other governors. Measures to combat climate change and its consequences were discussed. Biden promised, among other things, higher wages and better equipment for firefighters. He warned that in view of the forest fires, this year could be even worse than 2020.
Newsom had already declared a drought emergency for the majority of California’s counties in April. Precipitation and snow cover in the mountains, which usually fill the water reservoirs, are at a critically low level. In some regions, water saving is already mandatory. In Marin County, north of San Francisco, with the worst drought on record 143 years ago, residents are forced to reduce their water consumption. Car washing is prohibited, gardens are only allowed to be watered twice a week, and only in the early morning or evening. Further editions could follow soon. (dpa)
List of rubric lists: © Scott Stoddard / dpa
